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Daring Bakers Challenge: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

By Jeanne, on March 27th, 2011

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.
Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake, with cup of tea

This is no ordinary coffee cake. Or rather, tea cake in my case. Soft, sweet dough with plenty of oven spring envelops a dreamy citrus and meringue filling. The meringue is so subtle that you can hardly detect its presence. Perhaps it’s meant to be the baker’s secret for a fluffy and just perfectly moist cake interior.

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Blood Orange Curd Pi

By Jeanne, on March 14th, 2011

Blood Orange Curd Pi, with Blackberries

For us bakers, it’s never difficult to figure out how to celebrate Pi Day! The most important component of any halfway decent Pi Day celebration is pie. Pie is the obvious choice, not only because it shares a name with the popular number, but because of its traditional circular shape. There are infinite (like pi!) ways to create a pi-themed pie. I’ve decided to forgo any circular pie references in favor of creating a custom shaped pi filled with tangy sweet blood orange curd.

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Daring Bakers Challenge: Orange Tian

By Jeanne, on March 27th, 2010

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.
Oval-shaped orange tian, ready to serve

Orange what? That was my first thought as well. Every Daring Bakers challenge introduces me to a new treat. Whether it’s a treat that I know well but have never made from scratch, or a treat like this month’s orange tian that I’ve never even heard of before.

Here in southern California, it’s not difficult to find fresh oranges. I can smell the fragrant orange blossoms when I walk by the small grove of orange trees downtown. The small citrus tree in my backyard is blooming and it smells heavenly. I suspect that it’s a lemon tree, but since this is my first year in my new house I have yet to find out. The farmer’s markets are stocked with crates and crates of fresh citrus. I was thrilled to be able to use some of the local bounty for this month’s challenge!

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Daring Bakers Challenge: Tiramisu

By Jeanne, on February 27th, 2010

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.
Slice of Tiramisu

Tiramisù translates from Italian to mean “pull me up” or “pick me up”. And it is certainly true to its name! Layers of spongy savoiardi (ladyfingers) dipped in sweetened espresso, separated by layers of rich custard. Definitely a heavenly dessert!

Just like the tiramisù itself, this challenge was multi-layered. Everything was made from scratch over a span of 2 days. Savoiardi, mascarpone, zabaglione, pastry cream, whipped cream, and finally tiramisù! It’s really not as much work as it sounds, and it all culminates in a wonderful and well-deserved treat!

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